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Government urged to open up path for Afghan medical students to come to Scotland

20 students are waiting to come over

John and Lorna Norgrove with Afghanistan scholarship students in 2019
John and Lorna Norgrove with Afghanistan scholarship students in 2019

A charity is urging the UK Government to take action to help its efforts to allow 20 Afghan women continue their medical studies in Scotland.

Female students have had their studies halted after the Taliban stopped women attending university.

The Lewis-based Linda Norgrove Foundation is pressing the government to re-open its Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) to allow the women to move to Scottish universities.

It says the first year of the scheme has ended with no sign of the second year opening up.

Many Afghan women at risk

The charity is supported by Highland MP Jamie Stone who said the Home Office has been “asleep at the wheel” on the issue.

He says the government is “getting in the way” of charities attempting to help Afghans.

The foundation provides scholarships for women studying to be doctors, midwives and dentists.

It also sponsors young women studying law, economics or business studies as well as  emergency aid.

Many women in Afghanistan are at risk due to their Hazara ethnicity or because they have no male in the household to support them.

John and Lorna Norgrove set up the charity in memory of their daughter

The five medical schools in Scotland’s universities have agreed to find places for 20 students.

But their route to the UK has to be through ACRS which opened in January 2022.

The foundation was set up by John and Lorna Norgrove in memory of their daughter who was an aid worker in Afghanistan.

Linda was abducted in 2010 and killed by a grenade during a rescue operation by US forces.

John Norgrove said: “We’ve been desperately hoping the Taliban may reconsider their position, for without female doctors there is nobody to treat their wives and children when they are sick.

“But it is looking less and less likely.

“Some of the students were only months away from graduating and have had their futures snatched away.

“Others are having to move location every few days because of threats due to them being educated women.”

Women would be a ‘huge asset’ to Scotland

He acknowledges it has been challenging for the government because of the additional demands from the Ukraine war.

But he said: “These women are really desperate and it is truly heartbreaking to hear their stories.

“They are incredibly bright young women who are already part qualified as doctors and who would be a huge asset to this country if we brought them over here.

“It seems like a real win-win for us and for the young women.”

Jamie Stone has written to the Home Office pressing for clarification.

“The Home Office has been asleep at the wheel ever since Afghanistan fell to the Taliban.

Women receiving emergency aid parcels in Afghanistan.

“We are watching women have their rights stripped away from them in real-time and the government is not doing enough to help.

“The government claimed that they would start considering applications from wider groups under the ACRS after the first year of its existence.

“It’s now been over a year and organisations such as the Linda Norgrove Foundation are still unable to submit applications to bring over female students to finish their studies.

“There are many UK-based charities that are ready to support these women who are stuck in Afghanistan, and yet it is our own Government that is getting in the way.”

The foundation says it will screen the women to ensure they have an excellent academic track record, a good standard of English and a current passport.

It continues to provide the small living allowance to the scholarship students following the closure of the universities to women.

Flights to the UK will be paid

Should visas be granted, they will pay for the 20 women to travel to Pakistan and then fly to the UK.

The charity does not have resources to fully support the students after they arrive in the UK, as costs are much higher than in Afghanistan.

But they plan to help them identify scholarships and apply for student loans to fund their studies and accommodation.

In 2021, the foundation helped two aid workers flee Afghanistan and resettle in Stornoway.

Frishta Matin and her sister Farzana escaped in terrifying circumstances with their brother and Frishta’s husband and infant son.

Linda Norgrove was an aid worker in Afghanistan.

Since the Taliban takeover, the charity has also provided emergency aid with people facing freezing winters without food or heating.

The Home Office said that since August 2021 the government has brought thousands of Afghan women and girls to safety the UK, including female judges, women’s rights activists and a girl’s football team.

A spokeswoman said: “Supporting the resettlement of eligible Afghans remains a top priority.

“We have so far welcomed over 7,600 arrivals under ACRS and we continue to work with the UNHCR (the UN refugee agency) to identify at-risk people, including women and girls, for resettlement in the UK.”

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